2 Aug 2016

In March, the Liverpool Echo claimed that Jurgen Klopp sent scouts to watch German sensation Leroy Sane 'on a regular basis'. Unsurprisingly, Sane signed for Manchester City this week in a whopping £37m deal, and Reds legend Dietmar Hamann is convinced that the young attacker will be a huge success in the Premier League.

Speaking to Sky Sports today, Hamann - who spent three years at Man City - enthused:

"He [Sane] is a very gifted player technically and he's got a lot of pace. He will improve under Pep Guardiola - Leroy Sane said it himself - the biggest pull for him was to work with [Guardiola]. I think he will score goals".

Hamann also predicted that Sane will threaten Raheem Sterling's place in the team:

"Sterling has stalled since he went to Manchester City. He's never showed the promise he showed at Liverpool earlier in his career, so I think he will be the one who needs to pick it up".

* Dec 2015: Klopp hinted: "Are we interested in Sane and Matip? They are Schalke players, right? It is correct that we are looking at all options".

Clearly, Liverpool wanted Sane, but it appears that he rejected the Reds to sign for Man City, and after sealing the deal, Sane admitted that Guardiola's pulling power was the deciding factor:

"One of the reasons I decided to join City was Pep Guardiola; he convinced me to come here. I followed Pep at Barcelona and at Bayern [and] I think he can make me a more complete player".

To be honest, I'm not that fussed that Liverpool missed out. It's a massive risk to spend £37m on a comparatively inexperienced 20-year old, and despite Hamann's claims to the contrary, there's also a strong possibility that Sane will suffer the same fate as Sterling.

Like Sterling, he will have to endure the endless pressure and expectation that comes with a massive transfer fee, and if he can't handle it, Sane may live to regret chasing a big-club move too soon.